Energy from the wind
A push from the wind can make a kite fly and a sailboat glide across the
water—and it can do other things, too. It can even light lamps and
pump water!
If you live in a place where a strong, steady wind blows, you can use
wind energy to pump water and make electricity for your home. A machine
called a windmill uses the energy in the wind to do the work.
Windmills come in different shapes and sizes, but they are all alike in
some ways. They have a wheel, which is the part that spins. And they are
tall enough to catch the strong winds that blow high above the ground.
a propeller-type windmill on the roof of a city building, used to make
electricity
The wheel has paddles, sails, or blades for the wind to push against.
When the wind blows, the wheel spins. This makes a push that runs a
water pump or an electricitymaking machine called a generator
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Of course, the wind doesn’t always blow, so sometimes the windmill
doesn’t run. But
water pumped by the windmill can be stored in tanks. And electricity
made when the windmill runs can be stored in batteries. Until the
windmill goes back to work, you can use stored-up water and stored-up
electricity in your home.
Scientists are testing this new wind machine. Its eggbeater-shaped
blades help it catch the wind better and do more work than older
windmills do.
